Blessing In Disguise
by tastefullyqueer
Summary: When two opposing natures collide, they don't destroy each other. They make something beautiful... extraordinary... rare. She was out for revenge and he was out to find the truth. But there are some things better left buried.
1. Don't Freak Out

Sarah sat outside of Director Graham's office and surveying her surroundings with a wary eye.

"Agent Walker, the director will now see you." The receptionist addressed her in clipped tone and gave a slight nod in respect.

Straightening off her skirt, she stood up and strode purposely towards the office. She stopped in front of the door and let out a steadying breath- just like what she was taught at The Farm. _Don't Freak Out_, she told herself. She poised her hand to knock but Graham's voice boomed behind the door.

"Come in, Agent Walker."

Sarah opened the door and her attention immediately went to the tall, authoritative man sitting behind the oak desk-a sign of their distance and of where they stand. A boss and an employee. For once, she noticed that he had the look of utmost seriousness on his face. Putting on her game face, she strode to chair in front of his desk and addressed him.

She gave him a slight nod and answered, "Director."

"Have a seat, Agent." He glanced to the chair. "How's your recuperation going?"

Her hand drifted to her midriff, which was wrapped in gauze underneath her blouse. "It's been going well, thank you." Resting both hands in her thighs, she looked at him in curiosity. "But that's not why you called me, isn't it?"

Sarah looked on as the normally stoic man used his left hand to massage his temples. He looked tired, frustrated and pissed.

"Sir? What's wrong?" Sarah asked slowly.

Sighing in despair and straightening his posture, he looked at her dead in the eye. "Sarah, Daniel escaped."

_Daniel Shaw._

Graham noticed that the color of her irises darkened considerably. She tightened her muscles as a way to restrain herself from screaming out loud in frustration.

"How?" She spat out with barely hidden contempt. "I thought you had him locked in a high security prison? Sir, he killed a warehouse-full of our best agents!"

"Agent Walker… Sarah. He was in a high security prison. Turns out The Ring have roots from way down. A security guard aided his escape." Graham looked at her.

"Sir, I mean no disrespect but what about the other guards? It's supposed to be a high security prison, not a jail. What about the other precautions?"

"Sarah, when I said: "A security guard", I meant the warden himself helped Shaw." Graham looked at her with what looked like despair in his eyes.

"What? Is there no one we can trust in this Agency anymore?" Sarah asked in frustration.

Her question gave Graham the opening he needed. "Which is why I called you. Sarah, there is no one else in this Agency I trust more than you. You know how The Ring operates and you are the best agent we have."

Sarah looked at him and paying close attention to what he's saying.

"My sources told me that Daniel Shaw made contact with his wife and son discretely, telling them to run away and I assume that they're going to be reconvening sometime in the future. Your mission is to find out where they're going to meet. My source is in Burbank and says that he knows some people that can help you. Which is why, Sarah Walker, you're going to Burbank, help John Casey—a former marine and NSA's ghost killer, and hunt down Daniel Shaw."

* * *

><p>This is different from all the stories I have published before and I wanted to give this genre a go. So, yay or nay?<p> 


	2. Eat The Rainbow

She walked out the airport and peered through her sunglasses to find the person that was supposed to meet her. She was surprised when she saw a guy running towards her. Her hand quickly went around and felt for her gun situated in her waistband. The guy bent over in front of her to try to catch his breath.

"Eat the rainbow." He breathed out. She relaxed when the heard the code phrase and wracked her brain for the reply. "Pop the can."

The agent stood up and held his hand out. "Agent Walker, I'm Nico. Nico Daniels. I'm sorry I'm late. We found a lead to where Agent Shaw is. If you could just follow me, I'll brief you on the way there." Sarah shook his hand, pulled a small suitcase behind her and followed him.

She put on her glasses and remembered the conversation she had with Director Graham.

_"You'll be leaving at 0700 tomorrow to Burbank. You'll meet up with an agent named Nico Daniels. He was an analyst but he was upgraded as an agent because John Casey took him as an apprentice. He'll brief you of the current whereabouts and activities of Daniel Shaw. Remember, John Casey is officially off of the NSA's books but he works for them. I heard that the NSA has put a hit on Shaw's head and they gave that mission to Casey. He knows that he needs the CIA's information on Shaw that's why he agreed to meet you. Work with him to capture Shaw. This guy is a complete professional so you won't have any down time. Do you understand, Agent?" Graham looked at her and she gave a curt nod in reply. He slid a manila envelope over the desk and continued, "All the information that the CIA has on Shaw is on that hard drive and all other details of this mission on this folder."_

_She took the envelope and scanned through the folder. Looking up from the folder, she turned to Graham. "Will that be all, director?"_

_Graham appraised his best agent in concern. "Are you sure that you're ready for this?"_

_"Sir, this is the guy that blew up the headquarters of my team- my team which was prepping to attack The Ring base. I've been waiting for this opportunity since I woke up from my coma. I will do what I'm good at for the good of our country and for my comrades." Sarah replied to him in a no nonsense tone. "If that would be all, I'll be packing for my flight." She stood up and turned towards the door. _

_Graham gave her a slight nod so she started walking away. She was a few steps away from the door when she heard Graham say softly, "Be careful, Sarah." _

_With a small smile, she replied. "I will."_

"Agent Walker, we're here." Daniels' voice snapped her out of her musings.

She got off the car and appraised the suburbian house in front of her. "Are you sure that we're in the right place?"

"Positive, ma'am." He replied after locking the car. He walked straight to the door and rapped 3 times, a pause, and 2 times again. The door opened and a tall man with beady blue eyes holding a handgun studied her. "You Walker?"

"Yes." She looked at him straight in the eye. He looked at her then looked behind her. "Daniels, you sure you weren't followed?"

"Casey, of course we weren't. It's me." Nico gave Casey a small shrug.

Tilting his head, he directed the two of them to get inside. "Get in, come on."

Sarah walked inside the cul-de-sac and surveyed her surroundings. _This looks more like a cave than a house_, she thought to herself.

Casey closed the door after them and peered through the peephole to check for shadows. "All clear." He said out loud.

He walked towards a coffee table littered with coffee cups and various papers filled with intel on Shaw.

"I assume you want the intel." Sarah said as she threw her suitcase on the sofa and motioned to open it.

"I don't need your intel. I already have it." Casey told her with a smug look. Daniels, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes at Casey.

"What do you mean you already have it?" Sarah asked heatedly.

"Means, I already have it." Casey said in a sarcastic tone. "I'm not the ghost if I don't have ghost sources." He added and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"So why am I here?" She zipped up her suitcase and placed it on the floor. She quickly took the gun from her waist and pointed it at him. In turn, Casey also picked the gun from the coffee table and pointed it at her.

"Easy, sister. I'm not going to kill you. Put your gun down. Now." Casey told her.

Instead of putting it down, Sarah turned the safety off. "I repeat, why am I here?"

Casey just looked at her and continued pointing the gun.

"Geez, Casey! Just tell her before you two bloody up my carpet!" Daniels told Casey from his seat that is facing the two of them while lounging languidly and drinking a can of Pepsi.

Casey growled at Daniels and raised his hands in surrender. "I'm putting my gun down now. Don't shoot." Casey slowly placed his gun back at the coffee table. And gave her a look that said: _There, it's down._

Sarah relaxed visibly but continued aiming the gun at him.

"The reason you're here is because I needed the CIA's finest agent. And that agent is you."

* * *

><p>And no, Nico Daniels is not Chuck. I promise.<p> 


	3. Patience, Padawan

"Listen, Walker." Casey looked at her imploringly. "I know what happened 2 months ago. I know that you led a group that was minutes away from taking down The Ring."

Sarah turned the safety back on and sat down on the sofa. Seeing that it was already safe to continue talking, Casey continued.

"I know that you lost your whole team to the bombing and that you were in a coma for 4 weeks. I know that it was Daniel Shaw who planted the bomb." Casey sat down in the couch adjoining her and looked at her downcast form. "And I also know that Daniel Shaw was your subordinate."

At that, Sarah looked at him sharply and spoke in a clipped tone. "How did you know that? Only Graham knew that Shaw worked for us!"

Casey raised one eyebrow and in a factual tone, he answered. "For the CIA, sure. But not for The Ring."

A look of realization dawned on her. "You mean…"

Casey nodded gravely. "Yes, that's what I mean. And that is exactly the reason why I need you. Listen, Walker. I may be the best from the NSA but even I know that I couldn't do it myself."

"Hey!" Nico interrupted. "What about me?"

Casey rolled his eyes and backpedaled. "We couldn't do it ourselves. Happy?" Casey looked at Nico with a grunt.

"Ecstatic." He replied.

"So, what's this new mission that you got for me?" Sarah interrupted their bickering.

"It's not a new mission. You will be joining us. There isn't anyone else out there who wants him dead as badly as you do… which makes you perfect for this mission." He held out a paper for her to take.

"Shaw met with his wife and his son, twice. Both separately. He had taken great precaution in remaining under the radar and for added caution, he assigned Ring agents for their protection."

She nodded in understanding. "So you want me to get them both?"

Casey grinned. "Wrong. We don't touch them." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. Nico continued what Casey started. "You see, that's what Shaw is expecting. He expects us to use his family to find him and to make him surrender. So we're not going to do it." He ended with a shrug.

Sarah's eyebrows rose together in surprise. "That simple?"

"Sometimes, the best plan is the straightforward attack. If you think about it too much, you'll go loco." Nico made twirling actions using his finger on his left ear. Casey gave a grunt that means: _Kid's got a point._

With a sigh, Sarah looked at the two of them. "Fine. So what do I do?"

"I want you to talk to Shaw. He'll be in this café." Casey turned a photo in the coffee table for her to see. It was a quaint little café named Yummy Café. The servers were Chinese but the range of the menu was wide. Plus, it served meals from breakfast to lunch and on to supper.

"Me and Daniels here will be outside with a sniper. Anything goes wrong and we shoot." Casey walked over to a table and flipped it over. A wide array of handguns, semi automatics, and grenades were available. Casey picked a sniper and casually checked it out. "This baby can do anything." He told her in a voice laced with reverence.

"Listen, Colonel. I am tired and still reeling from the boatload of information you have supplied for me. If we could just get to the point, please?" Sarah said with a hint of annoyance.

Casey looked at her in respect. "That's more like it." He put the sniper down. "Moving on… The Ring has assigned a security detail for Daniel Shaw but he assigned that security detail to his wife and son. Having said that, he is even more alert and ready than ever. What you will do is simple. You just casually walk in the café, sit in front of his table and talk to him. Freak him out. Let him think that we are after his family to get to him."

"That's it?" Sarah had a dubious look on her face.

"For now, yes." Casey shrugged.

"Well, are you gonna let me in on the plan?" Sarah asked sarcastically.

"Patience, padawan." Casey replied with a smirk.

* * *

><p>I am mentally incapable of making a long chapter so I'm sorry for that. However, I will make up for it by updating often.<p> 


	4. I Expect As Much

Sarah walked in the cafe and immediately spotted Shaw. He was sitting in the corner table, right beside the EXIT door. He immediately looked up and spotted Sarah. Instead of freaking out like she expected, he smiled at her.

"Excuse me, miss? What can I get foh you?" The Chinese server asked her with a smile.

"I'll have coffee, please." Sarah gave her a smile.

"Cehtainly." With that, the server walked away to get her coffee. She walked towards Shaw and sat in the seat across him.

"Sure, Sarah. You can sit with me. Why don't we chat and catch up?" Shaw told her sarcastically.

"Cut the crap, Shaw." She told him in a neutral tone.

Shaw looked at her at whispered heatedly. "You cut the crap, Sarah! I know why you're here. Go on, kill me. I dare you." He gave her a smug grin.

"Don't be stupid, Shaw. I'm not going to kill you. That's not my style." The knife she was currently palming under the table was relaxing her from doing what he wanted.

"Then why are you here?" Shaw asked, confused.

"I'm here to warn you. I'm going to make sure that you feel the pain I felt when I lost everyone that day." Sarah sat back and received the coffee that was being handed to her. She turned to the server and bowed her head slightly, "Thank you." The server returned the gesture and left the two of them alone, again.

She watched in interest as Shaw sat stiffly. She knew what was running through his mind right now.

_Eve. Carl._

Sarah just sat and waited for the inevitable blow up. She held her gun in preparation. She was caught of guard when she heard him laugh.

"Oh Sarah." Shaw laughed maniacally and appeared to be losing his breath. "Do you really think that I'll fall for a plan as stupid as this?"

"What the hell does that mean? That son of a..." Casey's voice crackled through her earpiece.

Sarah sat stoically, staring at him. "Confused, Sarah? Let me clear it out for you."

"Now." Shaw said out loud.

~0~0~

Casey looked through the binoculars and whispered into his communication unit. "Listen, Walker. Just relax, I got your back." He turned it off and cursed. "Shit. Daniels, what does he mean?"

He turned around to face Nico only to receive a direct punch to his face. Casey staggered, stood up and poised to attack. "What the hell are you doing, Daniels?"

"What's right, Colonel." Nico raised his gun and shot Casey in the leg. Casey crumbled to the ground and tried to stop the bleeding his leg. "You're going to pay for this, Daniels."

Nico hit Casey's head with the butt of his gun that rendered the latter unconscious. "I would expect as much, Casey. I would expect as much."

He took out his Ring phone and dialed. "It's done."

~0~0~_  
><em>

_"I would expect as much, Casey. I would expect as much." _Sarah heard Nico's voice over Casey's earpiece.

She quickly took the gun from her waistband and pointed it at Shaw, point blank. "Don't move."

"Casey! Casey! What the hell is going on?" She screamed into her ear urgently while keeping her eyes at Shaw who was now drinking his coffee.

She stood up and looked at Shaw. "Get up, now! You're coming with me." Shaw sidled from his seat and now stood facing her.

"I don't think so, Sarah." He quickly swatted the gun away and punched her in the midriff, knowing of her injury. Sarah doubled over in pain and couldn't stop him as he pulled a tranquilizer gun and shot her twice.

"While I would to end everything here and now, you're not what I came for. Night Night, Sarah." Shaw said with a grin.

Sarah was kneeling on the floor, clutching her midriff as she looked up at him with pure hate and spat out. "Go to hell, Shaw."

She stayed conscious just enough to hear his reply. "I live there."

~0~0~

Police Officer Jill Roberts looked curiously at the blonde woman she tied to a chair who remained unconscious.

_Why was she tranqued? _She asked herself. _Just who is this woman?_

Sensing that the blonde wasn't going to be awake anytime soon, she walked out of the room and proceeded to her office. She plopped down with a sigh when someone knocked on her door.

"Ma'am, Detective Bartowski just arrived. Do you wish to see him now?" A man in his early 20's asked from his position in the door.

_I can never catch a break, _She thought to herself. "Send him in." She straightened in her seat and fixed her scattered paperwork.

"Hey Jill!" Chuck greeted her cheerily.

"Ugh, Chuck. Why are you so chippy? I have a very painful hangover and we brought a blondie in." Jill told him despairingly.

Chuck sat down in the chair and smiled teasingly. "Oooh, kinky. I take it that Bryce approves?"

"Shut up, Chuck." She stood up and walked out of her office. She looked forlornly at her sofa chair and glared at him. "I just sat down. God, you have the worst timing!"

Chuck held his hands up in surrender. "Geez, woman. Temper the hormones." He followed her towards the interrogation room. "So, what's her story?"

"My people got a 911 from a Chinese café downtown. The caller was screaming: _Woman collapsed. She shot. She has gun. Please help._" It so happened that we were the nearest officers to the location so we rushed there and found her lying on the floor, tranqued and holding a gun.

Jill opened the door to the adjoining room that had a two-way mirror. "She's on the other room. No one knows who she is and the servers said that today was the first time they saw her so she's considered hostile." She stood to his right with arms crossed in front of her. "How do you wish to proceed?"

Chuck stared at the woman sitting beyond the two-way mirror. He hadn't thought that he would see her again. "Sarah Walker. Her name is Sarah Walker."

* * *

><p>I love Chinese people. They have a delightful accent and they created xiumais.<p>

Thanks to BDaddyDL for his advice on how to write some characters.

I told you, Nico is not Chuck.


	5. Your Window's Knocking

"I'm sorry, Jill. I can't help you with this. I have to go now. I'm going to contact the inspector to assign a different detective for this case." Chuck turned around abruptly and stormed out of the precinct without a second glance.

Jill motioned to chase after Chuck and find out as to how he knew this Sarah Walker but before she was able to do so, Sarah Walker was standing, knocking in the two-way mirror. "Officer, we need to talk."

Jill walked into the interrogation room and studied Sarah with a measuring look. Sarah remained seated and stood up as she entered. She motioned towards the empty seat in front of her and looked at Jill.

"Please, take a seat."

~0~0~

Chuck had gotten over his hatred of cemeteries years before this moment. Not that he liked them especially; just that there was something oddly comforting about how they were: silent and peaceful. All the residents were sleeping, so nobody could point out the fact they weren't coming home. He had soon grown tired of people pointing that out.

_Death is a natural thing... without it the balance would be lost._ That one fact was what was keeping Charles Bartowski sane and he knew it, yet as he steadily walked through the far overgrown grass, it didn't mean he had to like it. Of course he didn't like it, how can you like something that has taken everyone you have ever loved from you? He accepted it as much as even his mind could without ever truly thinking over the secrets that were only kept alive by his knowledge. When he had been young he had stated that nothing truly dies until it had been completely forgotten.

Even he, the person who had said it, had not understood it until the last grave had been placed into the fertile ground. Yet, since that moment, he understood what he said because as long as someone remembers them, the dead aren't truly gone. They remain, if only to visit you in your nightmares. He knew that well.

After all, the shadows under his hollow eyes showed how his dreams haunted him- with all the force of the blood and screams that he couldn't forget. His brilliant mind's only fault was that he remembered everything too well. He remembered every detail from how the lights flickered to how many little buttons had been still rolling on the wet ground.

Have you ever lost every little bit of humanity you had left? For several weeks after opening that door, Chuck had. He'd gone numb and he had never really recovered. He had lost everything because he was seconds too late. _**Seconds**_.

Asking if you know what that feels like would be stupid because surely you can't lose everything in a second.

It's not possible, is it?

Chuck really did wish that it was.

His eyes remained watching straight ahead, as if avoiding looking at all the resting places that surrounded him. There was only one place he had to be, and he was slowly getting there.

Chuck walked towards two tombstones located in a hidden place in the cemetery. He knelt and cleared the few dead leaves that had started accumulating on top of them. He sighed gently when pulling the weed out of the ground, silently cursing it for growing so quickly. The writing on the black headstone was simple, no emphasis or pretentious curls:

**Stephen J. Bartowski**

**1945-2000**

**Brilliant Scientist, Loving Father, Supportive Husband**

Less than a meter away from it lay another black headstone, the writing in the same condition as the first- and the weeds also mocking it as they grew and kept living:

**Mary Elizabeth Bartowski**

**1945-2000**

**Loving Mother, Supportive Wife**

He gently put the basket of colorful flowers he had brought with him and placed it right in the middle of the two tombstones, and right above another one (still pure white) which had no weeds. His eyes remained on the soil where the weeds hadn't begun to grow yet. Nothing but the leaves covered the horrific brown soil under the basket. Finally, his sad eyes moved to the curly and still so _smooth_ writing which took his heart and smashed it every single time he saw it:

**Eleanor Faye Bartowski**

**1975-2011**

**Caring Sister, Great Friend, Awesome Fiancée**

He let his hands linger longer on Ellie's tomb and felt the familiar sting of tears as he quickly blinked, refusing to let himself feel all the hurt these visits caused him to feel. He refused to deal with all the anguish because it could wait for another day.

"Hey, El." He smiled painfully and sat down with his legs in front of him. "I miss you, sis." He covered both his eyes with both hands and choked out. "I miss you so much." No tears spilled yet the burning continued.

He interlocked his fingers and placed it under his chin as he continued to look at Ellie's tomb in fondness. "Sorry I haven't come for a while. Work has been hell. Literally." He let out a tiny sigh as he moved his knees up to his chest, resting the side of his face onto them and wrapping his arms around his legs like a child might.

"Do you remember when Mom and Dad left and you told me you wouldn't leave?" Chuck barely stopped his voice from breaking as he joked. "You lied, didn't you?"

Chuck let out a strangled laugh as he turned his attention to his Dad's grave. "I know I promised that I would protect this family. But I was too late." Chuck covered his eyes with his left hand and looked up. "I'm sorry, Dad." His eyes flashed back to the white grave as he ran a finger over the first three letters of her name. "Don't worry Ellie. We can have pancakes another day. I'll be on time and then I'll cook dinner for you. Awesome can go out and we'll have a night of pancakes and stupid films. Just like we planned." He pulled his hand away.

Chuck remained in that position for a while until he felt ready to take his left hand away from his eyes… to face reality but his caller had other ideas. His phone rang noisily from his pocket and he audibly groaned. He took a few breaths to gain his composure as he took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen: _**Inspector Yagami.**_

He got up from the ground and patted his jeans. Pressing the green button, he stuck the phone in his ear.

"Hello, boss."

"Bartowski! Why the hell aren't you at the precinct!" His boss screamed at him through the phone. His boss was usually nice so he must really be pissed off.

"Boss, I can't do this one. It hits too close to home. Can't Bryce do it?" Chuck asked as he began walking away from the people that had once formed his home.

"Bartowski, I don't care about your lady feelings. Get your head out of your ass and get to work!" And with that, he hung up.

Chuck barely looked back as he whispered, "Yeah. We'll have pancakes another day."

It's not like the dead can correct you.

~0~0~

Jill sat there, stunned at the revelations that the person sitting in front of her just said. In fact, her jaw might be hanging. Taking control of her bearings, she looked at Sarah with a confused yet curious expression.

"So let me get this straight, there is a psychopath roaming this city as we speak." Jill raised an eyebrow in Sarah's direction.

Sarah let out a sigh in exasperation and nodded. "Yes, his name is Daniel Shaw and he's not really a psychopath but he is a trained agent who is working with an enemy organization called The Ring."

Jill nodded dumbly. "Yes. Yes. And you're working for the CIA?"

Sarah just nodded at her to continue. "And you worked with a ghost killer from the NSA and his partner but it turns out that his partner was a traitor and captured said NSA agent?" Jill looked at Sarah with disbelief in her tone.

"Look, Officer, if you're not willing to help just say so already! You're wasting my time! My partner could be dying as we speak!" Sarah stood up anger and annoyance.

Jill appraised her with a questioning look. "And why can't your Agency help you in rescuing your partner?"

Sarah was already at the end of her rope and this police officer is just asking for it. "Because he is a freakin' ghost agent! And the point of them being called "ghost agents" is because they're GHOSTS-meaning they're under the radar so the Agency cannot be held responsible for them!" Sarah punctuated each sentence with a pound on the table.

_Okay. So maybe that was a tad bit too much,_ Sarah thought to herself (while also trying not to hiss at the pain from hitting the table so many times).

Jill opened her mouth to answer when both of them heard a knock on the 2-way mirror. With a heavy sigh, Sarah ran a hand through her hair.

"Your mirror's knocking, maybe you should get that." She turned away from Jill and paced in the interrogation room. Jill just looked at her in disbelief but stood up to walk out of the room.

~0~0~

She walked out to see Chuck looking at Sarah Walker's pacing form inside the room.

"Chuck! You're back! Thank God!" Jill approached him in relief. "That woman is insane!"

Chuck looked back at her blankly but she can see the anger dangerously bubbling in the surface. "Why did you have to call the Inspector? I was trying to talk to him and make him see reason! Jill, I cannot be on this case!"

Jill was tired of everyone screaming at her for the past hour. Combined with the hangover she still has and the fatigue she was clearly feeling, her body was just protesting and was looking for a person to vent to.

"Go to hell, Chuck! I've been here all day when I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon in Hawaii! Do you think that I'm happy to be here? What the hell got you so bitchy about this case, anyway?" Jill looked at Chuck with raised arms.

Chuck had a look of pure hatred on his eyes. The same eyes, which have been following Sarah's pacing form inside the room. After a few more minutes, his gaze saddened as it turned to her:

"It was her people that killed Ellie…" He whispered brokenly. "Forgive me if I'm trying to restrain myself from killing her." He looked at her sadly before turning his attention back to the unsuspecting form of a pacing Sarah Walker.


	6. Croissants or Scones?

**Flashback**

Chuck walked in the precinct as a newly minted detective. And it felt good. Being a police officer for years, he saw what detectives could do. And that made him yearn for it.

_Plus, Detective Bartowski sounds good._ Chuck mused.

"Hey, Chuck!" Chuck turned around and saw his friend, Bryce Larkin.

"Woah! Looking sharp there, Chuckles!" Bryce approached him with a grin and handed him a cup of coffee.

Chuck accepted the coffee and rolled his eyes theatrically. "God, you sound just as bad as Awesome."

"Oh yeah, how is mon capitan and his gorgeous lady?" Bryce mused out loud.

Chuck stared at Bryce, not amused. "You mean my sister."

"Of course, buddy! Who else?" Bryce patted him in the back and motioned for him to start walking but was suddenly cut off when a voice interrupted.

"Hey, honey." A voice dripped with venom was heard from behind Bryce and he straightened up.

Bryce smoothly passed his cup to Chuck and promptly turned around and gave the owner of the voice a soft kiss. "Jill, baby. What a sight you are to behold! You are anything but a lady. You, my dear, are a goddess."

Jill shook her head whilst a small smile remained on her lips. She gave him a kiss on the cheeks before making her way past him and faced Chuck. Behind her, Chuck could see Bryce sighing in relief. Jill had a pondering look on her face as she studied him from head to toe with one raised eyebrow. Chuck raised his hands and turned around… allowing Jill to study his whole outfit. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt with a red tie and black slacks to match his shirt. He also wore a brown overcoat just to finish it off. Finishing his quick spin, he stopped and waited for Jill's decision.

Giving a noncommittal shrug, she declared. "Not bad, Chuck." She shook her head and gave him a disbelieving look. "The overcoat, seriously? Chuck… just… no." She waved her hand and took Bryce's cup from him.

Chuck hollered at her. "Hey! Atleast I can now dress myself!" He shared a grin with Bryce who was now standing beside him.

Jill looked back and rested one hand on her hip. "Tell Ellie she did a good job dressing you today! Nice try, though." And with a grin, she disappeared inside her office.

"Man, I can never get away from Ellie and Jill." Chuck sighed as he looked at a gleeful Bryce.

"Right. Isn't she amazing! She knows you can't dress yourself!" Bryce said in a proud voice.

Chuck shook his head as he took a sip from his cup. "Dude, you are so whipped."

"I know, isn't it awesome?" Bryce gave him a wide grin and promptly went about his own business.

~0~0~

Inspector Yagami went inside the shared kitchen where he saw Chuck talking to Carlo. The latter was Chuck's right hand man during operations. Seeing that Chuck has patted the latter's back, pertaining to the end of their conversation, he had decided to interrupt them.

"Bartowski. Or should I say, Detective Bartowski." The inspector called him with a teasing yet proud lilt in his voice. Chuck, upon hearing his voice, broke into a huge grin that threatened to split his face in half.

Carlo shook his head with a smile and walked away. "See you later, Chuck. And congrats!"

"Thanks, dude. Bye!" Their fists collided in a fist bump then Carlo turned around to make himself scarce.

"Sir!" Chuck saluted Yagami with a smile. Yagami and Chuck always had this strange relationship ever since Chuck started. People say that Yagami had always treated him like a son. Actually, he treated everyone as though they were his. But Chuck… Chuck was his favorite. Some say this is because Chuck looks like his son who died in a car crash a couple of years ago. Other policemen didn't really see a need to complain about this because Chuck got the toughest training and they could never really picture Chuck in a bad way seeing as he treats everyone with respect and the inspector acts the same way around everyone. However, only Chuck has the guts to joke around with him… and get away with it. Chuck always salutes the inspector whenever they meet. Although, it is not really necessary but is well received. It's his own way of showing how much respect he holds for him. Yagami also sees to it that he shows Chuck how much it means to him to be held in such a high respect so as to assuage his "moronic ways" as Bryce put it; he gives him a salute back.

After withdrawing his hand from a salute, Yagami instructed Chuck to approach him. Chuck approached him quickly as Yagami gave him a pat in the shoulder. "Before anything else, congratulations. You deserve it." Chuck gave him a grin and nodded. "I couldn't have done it without your training. Thank you, sir."

Inspector Yagami bellowed out a laugh as he ushered Chuck to his office. "Now, on to business." He opened the door and Chuck was surprised to see Bryce, Jill and Carlo inside. With a hand flourish, Yagami looked at Chuck with a smirk.

"Detective Bartowski, meet your new team. From here on out, the four of you will be the lead team for this precinct." Yagami made his way behind his desk and sat down as Chuck approached Jill and gave her a hug and gave the other two a fist bump.

"Really? This is awesome!" Chuck said with a proud smile.

"Better believe it, bro! Call of Duty all night long. Booyah!" Bryce proclaimed with an air fist that was met with an unamused smile from his fiancée. Carlo just sat there and shook his head at Bryce.

Light Yagami, who is known as Inspector Yagami to others, studied the group with a small smile. He is sure that this team will be great and will take down a lot of people and criminal organizations. Realizing that he has given them more than enough time to make themselves comfortable with their team, he cut off Bryce's monologue with a cough.

"Now that you know your teammates, let us get on to the briefing. Chuck and Bryce, you're to proceed to Westside Medical Center to ask a couple of quick questions to a bomb survivor. Carlo and Jill, head to the bombsite and find out anything that you can from the explosion, understood?" Light took out a folder and handed it to Bryce and Chuck. "This is the information we have from the victim, find out everything else. Chuck, I hope your sister helps you get clearance to talk to the victim." Chuck gave a serious nod in reply.

Inspector Yagami straightened in his seat and squared his shoulders. " Now then, Go Go Power Rangers."

The tense situation has now dissolved as four disgusted groans were heard from the office and another voice dared to voice out their ire. "Boss, you suck."

~0~0~

"Doctor Bartowski. Ellie. I cannot stop begin to explain how important it is that we get this man out of here. He is in danger from forces that even I cannot stop." Sarah Walker implored at Ellie whilst they are walking towards her office.

"Look, Sarah. He is in critical condition. If he steps out of this hospital, he will die." Ellie told her as they stopped outside of her office with her hand poised to open the door. "I'm just doing my job. You know that."

Sarah prepared to attack sensing people from the other side of the door. Ellie finally opened the door and was happily surprised to see her brother sitting in a chair.

"Hey, El!" Chuck said, approaching her and taking off her load. He gave her a hug and walked to unload her stuff on the table.

"Hey, Chuck! What brings you by?" Ellie stood by the door, confused. Sarah appraised what happened with a measured gaze. She looked at Chuck Bartowski, Ellie's brother and his companion who, by their clothes and actions, told her that they were police officers.

Chuck looked at her and Ellie then waved away her concern. "Oh, you know. Confidential stuff."

With a sigh, Ellie proceeded to her desk and stopped a few steps away. "Bryce. My seat. Shoo." Bryce stepped away sheepishly and stood beside Chuck. Ellie looked at the three people standing in front of her and remembered.

"Oh right. Sarah, this is Chuck Bartowski, my brother. Chuck, this is Sarah Walker. I work with her for the CIA. And I know you're here to ask, yes. The bomb victim was somehow involved with the CIA." Ellie offered with a smile.

Sarah stood, appalled that Ellie blew her cover to her brother. "Ellie!"

"Sarah, don't worry. My brother is a police officer. There is no one in this world I trust more than him. Besides, he already knew beforehand that I work as a CIA doctor." Ellie calmed the agent down. "And we both know that you need all the help that you can get… and just ignore Bryce."

She turned her attention to Chuck who was wearing a proud smile. "My sister is awesome, eh? Bigshot CIA doctor."

Sarah shook his head in disbelief. _Somehow, I don't think he understands the dangers of working for the CIA._

Bryce interrupted everyone by clearing his throat. "I'm Bryce Larkin. Very nice of Ellie to introduce us. Now, on to business, who is this guy?"

Glad for the change in topic, Sarah answered him. "This man is one of our own. He shall remain anonymous to you. All of you." She gave a pointed glare to Ellie who shrugged it off. "He has been being working undercover for Fulcrum and his cover was blown. Fulcrum agents blew up his apartment and he is currently being hunted down. As a precaution, we have stationed CIA agents here but I'm afraid it's not safe anymore." Sarah continued with a serious look.

"What do you mean?" Chuck regarded her curiously.

"Look, I'm sorry. I respect you and all but this is 'CIA level' confidential." Sarah replied apologetically.

"Okay, fine. Are you sure there weren't any other casualties of the blast?" Chuck asked. Doesn't mean that if he couldn't ask, there aren't other ways to acquire information. Sarah nodded and replied tightlipped. "Yes. Pretty sure. He lived alone. Amazingly, no one was home at the moment."

_Damn. _Chuck cursed to himself. Two phones rang simultaneously and everyone checked their phones. Chuck turned around to answer his phone while Sarah walked out of the room.

"Hello, Jill?" Chuck answered.

"Chuck. Hey. You should come here. Now." Jill said in a measured voice.

"Why?" He inquired.

"There's something you need to know that's best be heard in person." Jill continued. "And Chuck, hurry." Jill dropped the call and Chuck looked at his phone curiously.

_Wonder what that was about. No matter, I'm not getting anywhere here. _Chuck glanced at Bryce and pointed to his phone. "That was your keeper. Best be going." Bryce nodded and walked out of the door. "I'm heading out first. See you in the car. See you, Ellie!"

Ellie stood up and waved at Bryce. She walked around the table and hugged Chuck. "Be careful, little brother. Dinner tonight?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You bet!" Chuck grinned and started towards the door. He turned around and looked at her. "Love yah, sis!"

Ellie gave him a warm smile and waved. "Love you too, baby brother."

Chuck closed the door and turned around… around and barely held back the scream that he would've let out in surprise, as Sarah seemed to have materialized in front of him. Sarah looked at him curiously and asked. "Heading out?"

Chuck took a few calming breaths and stood up. "Erm. Yeah. Somewhere I got to be." Extending his hand to the gorgeous blonde in front of him, he gave her a heart-topping smile. "It was nice meeting you, Sarah Walker. I hope to see you soon."

Sarah regarded the tall, lanky guy in front of her who's causing warm feelings in her stomach with a smile and accepted the handshake. "It was nice meeting you too, Chuck." She held on to the handshake for a few more seconds before slowly releasing his hand.

The hand that was on its way to the doorknob was stopped on its progress when Chuck spoke. "By the way, do you prefer croissants or scones?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow to the man in front of her who was rocking on his heels with an innocent smile on his face. "Croissants. Why?"

"You know. For the next time we meet under the pretence of coffee." Chuck grinned at her and walked away. Sarah stood there, looking at the departing figure of Chuck Bartowski. She shook his head as a smile unwittingly grew on her face. She opened the door and walked inside to see Ellie futilely looking for other things to occupy herself. Waiting for a few more seconds, she acted surprised as she turned around and saw Sarah. "Oh hey, Sarah! I didn't notice you walk in."

Sarah rolled her eyes at her. "Nice try, Ellie." Ellie squealed at her with something sinister shining in her eyes. "I knew I should've introduced you months ago. I should've known that my dreams are messages from the future! You two are too cute! You were blushing the whole time!" Sarah just gave her a small smile but didn't dare to deny anything. Knowing full well that Ellie can see through her.

"Anyway, I've got to go now. I'll se you later." Sarah approached Ellie and gave her a small hug. "Take care of that man." Sarah did not like the glint that brightened in Ellie's eyes.

"Oh, don't worry. I always take care of Chuck." Ellie grinned. Extremely proud of herself. Shaking her head, Sarah gave up trying to talk to Ellie. "Ellie, just because you're engaged to an awesome guy doesn't mean you can marry everyone else off."

"Want to bet?" Sarah gave her a deadpanned look and walked away. "Goodbye, Ellie."

"Bye, Sarah." She replied in a sing song voice.

~0~0~

Jill watched from a distance as her fiancé needled a blushing Chuck about something. As they got progressively nearer, she could hear snippets of their conversation.

"Dude, admit it! You like her!" Bryce teased with a grin. Chuck grew impossibly redder as Bryce continued. "I knew it!" He shouted. He saw Jill and he ran over to her. He gave her a kiss to the cheek and proudly announced. "Our man, Chuckles here, has got a date with a stunning hot blonde."

Jill's eyes widened to saucers as she looked at Chuck with a dropped jaw. He looked at Bryce and looked back to Chuck, who was now politely averting his eyes and covering it. Finally regaining the sense to speak, she spoke out loud. "Chuck Bartowski, you stud. You!" She gave him a hug and was bracing herself to ask an onslaught of questions before Chuck stopped her with a look.

"I don't suppose you called us here to discuss a stunning hot blonde." At that, Jill deflated but gave him a stern look. "This conversation is not over. Don't forget that." Chuck nodded in acquiescence and defeat.

Jill's face turned serious as she steered the two of them towards an isolated spot where no one can hear them. "I got information from the bomb. Some guy who worked with it was someone I knew long ago. This isn't an ordinary bombing."

Chuck and Bryce just nodded but they already knew of this. "This bomb was made by the CIA." Chuck's eyes grew to the size of saucers and before Jill could say anything else, Chuck ran towards his car completely ignoring the shouts from Jill and Bryce to stop.

_Ellie. Please be safe. I swear to God, if someone hurts you, there will be hell to pay._ Chuck raced through the roads to Westside Medical and he barely made it out of the car when the hospital exploded. He was thrown away from the explosion and he was trying to run inside but a lot of hands stopped him. Giving up, he knelt down and looked at what once was known to be Westside Medical Center, going up in flames and he can hear distant fire truck sounds in the background. He knelt there with his hands in his eyes, head bent down, and tears gloriously flowing from his eyes as his sister and remaining family member died.


	7. Harry Potter Zone

Disclaimer: I have no beta so I'm alpha. That doesn't really make any sense so just blame me.

I'm sorry I haven't updated this story for two weeks because I made a different story... dedicated to passionovermind. And life happened (lost my job and Comic Expo on the weekend).

* * *

><p>Jill approached Chuck slowly and touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chuck. I didn't mean to… I mean. I didn't know."<p>

Chuck turned to her and gave a sad smile. "It's okay, Jill. I'm sorry I shouted at you." Jill hugged him and patted his back. "I know you miss her, Chuck. You don't have to lie to me."

"Are you sure that it's her?" Jill slowly pulled away from the embrace. Chuck walked towards the other side of the room and sat down. "I saw her, Jill. She was with Ellie moments before the explosion happened. Plus, she's CIA."

"I know." She looked at her from the window. "She told me." She turned his attention to Chuck who had a pensive look on his face. "What do you mean?"

Jill sighed and combed her hand through her hair. "Chuck, there is something seriously wrong with our government. I think you should listen to our earlier conversation."

Chuck looked at her curiously as she went to the computer and replayed the earlier conversation.

~0~0~

"_Please, take a seat." Sarah leaned back in the chair. Jill took a seat while studying the woman in front of her suspiciously._

"_Look, woman. If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it earlier. By earlier, I meant the moment you stepped into the room." Sarah let out an annoyed sigh. _

"_By the way, your trainers should start teaching you people correctly. No wonder the crime rate is high." She mumbled under her breath. "What I am going to divulge to you has to stay in this room. Do you understand?" Sarah looked at Jill ferociously._

_Jill nodded her head. "I understand."_

"_Look, I am not stupid. I know you have this conversation recorded and frankly, as long as the people you trust are the only ones who will get hold of this, I couldn't care less. God knows we need all the help we could get. Because if this conversation gets out, I promise you… I will enjoy watching the life disappear from your eyes." Sarah leaned to the table and said each word slowly with a malevolent tone. "Understand?"_

"_Crystal." Jill crossed her arms in front of her. _

"_Defense mechanism", Sarah thought. "Good. She's scared."_

"_First off, my name is Walker. Sarah Walker. CIA." She raised her hand in front of her, anticipating a handshake. Jill looked at her hand curiously. Measuring her. Giving up, she took the proffered hand."Roberts. Jill Roberts." Sarah gave her a small nod and broke the handshake. A truce._

"_Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Sarah linked her hands in front of her and on the table. "The Ring. That's what they're called. They're an organization composed of the government's higher ups. An opposition, of sorts."_

"_So they want to take down the government?" Jill inquired._

_Sarah gave a noncommittal shrug. "In a nutshell, you can say that. They plan to overthrow the government."_

"_A coup?" Jill suggested._

"_Yes."_

"_Why do it? Our country is doing well. Why wreck it?" Jill scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion._

_Sarah placed her open palms in the table. "Look, officer. No offence, but that's kind of hypocritical. Do you realize what sacrifices had to made in order for the government to 'do well? Do you know how many people died for it to 'do well'?"_

_Jill gave her a vicious look. "Of course I do! I'm a police officer, for God's sake!"_

"_Then that answers your question. What do you think happened to their families? Do you think they're happy that they lost someone? Let me tell you something, no one takes anything for face value anymore. Not anymore." Jill saw Sarah's stoic face turn soft… vulnerable… human._

"_Who did you lose?" Jill whispered softly._

"_Damn it. Get your head in the game, Walker!" Sarah berated herself._

"_That's none of your business." She cleared her throat and Jill backed off. "Moving on… For many years, the whole intelligence community was hunting down the organization. Years and years yet no lead came out. Until the CIA wised up and decided to throw a CIA Agent into their hole. That agent's name is Daniel Shaw."_

"_This is harder than I thought", Sarah stood up and leaned against the wall but remained facing Jill._

"_He was undercover for years and finally, he was accepted into their ranks and found where their hideout was. Problem was, he was 'enlightened' by The Ring." Her fists clenched unconsciously._

"_So, like the puppet that he is. He ran back to our superiors and reported where the hideout was. The superiors were a little confused as to why he decided to give the information now, of all times. So, they took his wife and son."_

"_The hell!" Jill shot up from the chair and shouted. "They can't do that! That's unconstitutional!"_

"_Yeah well, they ARE the constitution." Sarah said sarcastically. "They figured that it was the only way that they can assure his loyalty."_

"_At the cost of his family's life?" Jill asked, appalled._

"_Officer, we signed up for the protection of the greater good." Sarah sighed. Jill shook her head in disgust. Sarah put her hands in her pockets and continued._

_"So Daniel ascertained the location of the hideout. We formed a team to attack the hideout. And I was in charge of that team." Sarah took deep breaths to compose herself for the next part of the story. "We were preparing to attack their hideout and he planted a bomb. I doubted him so I followed him outside and unknowingly, following him saved my life. But my team… they all died in the blast." Sarah closed her eyes briefly to swallow the pain from retelling the story. "Long story, short. I hunted him down. Beat him to a pulp and he was captured by the Agency. And now, he escaped. The Director decided to pair me up with a NSA Agent and his partner…under the radar kind of mission. We had this sting set up for Shaw, turns out that the NSA Agent's partner is a traitor which leads us to where we are now." Sarah went back to the seat in front of Jill and raised her eyebrow as she saw the wheels in the head of the person in front of her turned._

_Jill looked at the emotionally stunted woman in front of her. "Let's say, hypothetically, that I believe you. How do I know that you're not part of The Ring?"_

_Sarah shrugged at her. "You don't and you can't."_

_Jill sat there, stunned at the revelations that the person sitting in front of her just said. In fact, her jaw might be hanging. Taking control of her bearings, she looked at Sarah with a confused yet curious expression._

_"So let me get this straight, there is a psychopath roaming this city, as we speak." Jill raised an eyebrow in Sarah's direction._

_Sarah let out a sigh in exasperation and nodded. "Yes, his name is Daniel Shaw and he's not really a psychopath but he is a trained agent who is working with an enemy organization called The Ring."_

_Jill nodded dumbly. "Yes. Yes. And you're working for the CIA?" Sarah just nodded at her to continue._

_"And you worked with a ghost killer from the NSA and his partner but it turns out that his partner was a traitor and captured said NSA agent?" Jill looked at Sarah with disbelief in her tone._

_"Look, Officer, if you're not willing to help just say so already! You're wasting my time! My partner could be dying as we speak!" Sarah stood up anger and annoyance._

_Jill appraised her with a questioning look. "And why can't your Agency help you in rescuing your partner?"_

_Sarah was already at the end of her rope and this police officer is just asking for it. "Because he is a freaking ghost agent! And the point of them being called "ghost agents" is because they're GHOSTS…meaning they're under the radar so the Agency cannot be held responsible for them!" Sarah punctuated each sentence with a pound on the table._

_Okay. So maybe that was a tad bit too much,Sarah thought to herself._

_Jill opened her mouth to answer when both of them heard a knock on the 2-way mirror._

_With a heavy sigh, Sarah ran a hand through her hair._

_"Your mirror's knocking, maybe you should get that." She turned away from Jill and paced in the interrogation room. Jill just looked at her in disbelief but stood up to walk out of the room._

~0~0~

"Getting shot hurt. It hurts like a bitch. That doesn't really make any sense because there's nothing painful about being a female dog. Unless…" Casey stopped the stupid musings brought about by the pain from the gunshot wound. He struggled against his restraints with blind pain. He was seated in a chair- no handles, his arms were tied behind him and fetters in the floor restrained his legs. He was situated in the middle of a dark room with a single light bulb above him, illuminating the whole room.

"You're gonna pay for this, Daniels. You son of a bitch." He growled in his head. He looked at his bleeding leg and assessed the damage.

"Just enough to make it hurt", he thought to himself wryly. He tensed himself when he heard footsteps outside the door. He grinned. Let the games begin.

~0~0~

Chuck stood up and processed what he just heard. Jill turned the recording off and turned to him. "Do you think she's telling the truth?" She asked gently.

Chuck combed a hand through his hair and started walking around the room. "I don't know, Jill. I don't know what to believe anymore." He leaned his back against the wall and scrunched up his eyebrows.

"Twilight Zone, huh?" Jill joked mirthlessly.

"Harry Potter Zone, actually." He turned his head slightly to look her in the eye and gave her a slight smile.

* * *

><p>NB: I know that Twilight is different from The Twilight Zone. :) Please, do leave a review. Even if its a simple ':)', it would be appreciated so much.<p>

Believe me, I am tempted to bring a deathly notebook and a shinigami into the mix. ;)


	8. Our Bitter Friend, Chuck

"Sir?" Chuck's head appeared from the door of Inspector Yagami's office. Light Yagami was talking to someone on the phone when he noticed his detective standing like an idiot by his door. Waving his hand that is currently supporting the phone by his ear, he signaled him to take a seat in front of him. Chuck fumbled inside and situated himself in front of the Inspector who has turned in his swivel chair in an attempt to hold a private conversation. Trying to give the Inspector some privacy, Chuck allowed his eyes to wander around the office as he whistled a tune to himself.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand. I will have my best men on this case. I don't think Mr. Fluffykins ran away." Chuck snickered and Yagami glared at him. The former coughed and tried to hide his smirk.

"No, ma'am. I am not laughing at you. I just had something in my throat. A matter of life or death? Yes. Definitely." Light Yagami nodded vigorously. "I will call you the second my men find Mr. Fluffykins. You're welcome, ma'am. Have a good day now." Yagami ended the call and placed it in his proper place.

"Unbelievable! A national security risk and we get calls for missing cats." Yagami took of his glasses and massaged his closed eyes when it snapped open as he regarded the man in front of him who looked like he was being choked. "Out with it, Bartowski."

Chuck had a deer in the headlights look and immediately coughed to mask the awkward conversation. "Problems, Inspector?"

"Cats." Yagami shook his head and dug through the papers in his table until he found a Manila envelope. "Aha!"

Chuck regarded his boss curiously and ignored his temporary insanity. "Boss, what is that?"

"This, Bartowski. Is your problem." Yagami handed the folder to him.

"Uhh… What?" Chuck took the folder and looked over the files.

_CIA. Agent Sarah Walker. Daniel Shaw. The Ghost. Nico Daniels. NSA. March 1, 2011._

"That… is everything we can dig up for YOUR mission. I hereby declare you, Detective Charles Bartowski, lead detective and liaison between me and the powers that be." Yagami gave Chuck a supportive smile.

Chuck looked surprised and stuttered. "Uhh… why me?"

Light Yagami shrugged. "They're the ones who set it up." He sobered up a bit a leaned forward in the table. "Chuck, I've had the pleasure of working with you for many years and I know that they have chosen the right person. I believe in you, son." He stood up and patted Chuck's shoulder as he strode towards the door. "Now, chop chop."

Chuck flustered and blushed. "Thank you, sir. I'm honored. I will make you proud." He stood up and walked towards the door held open by Yagami. He raised the folder and turned to wave goodbye when he stood in front of a closed door. He retreated his arm and hit the folder against his face.

"Perfect. Just perfect. The world is full of rainbows and butterflies." He groaned.

"Killing trees, buddy?" Chuck comically slid the folder down from his face to see Bryce standing in front of him with crossed arms.

"Will kill trees, Bryce. Yagami put me in charge. And you…" He gave the folder to Bryce and pointed a finger at him. "… will be helping me."

"So… what's this about?" Bryce leafed through the folder and paused. "Are you kidding me?" Bryce gave Chuck a deadpan look. Chuck met his look with an innocent smile but relented. "That's what I thought."

~0~0~

"Her story checked out?" Jill asked in an oddly high-pitched tone while holding 2 cups of coffee.

"Funnily, guys in TV really know what they're on about." Chuck handed a $20 bill to the lady behind the counter. "Thank you." He raised his cup and gave her a smile. Chuck, Jill and Bryce were at the coffee shop across their precinct.

They proceeded to walk towards a table occupied by Bryce. Jill sat beside him and handed him his coffee. Bryce smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Guys, seriously. You're disgusting." Chuck took a sip of his coffee. "I know you're newly weds and all but you are worse now than when you were just dating." He looked at them disgustedly.

Bryce looked at Jill and spoke in a faux Italian accent. "We have a love that most people seek but never find. Such as our bitter friend, Chuck. Oh, what shame to not find love-" Bryce sighed dramatically and shook his head while Jill grinned proudly at her husband. He leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered. "- but wait, for love cometh to those who wait." He gave a small bow in acknowledgement of his wife who was clapping—amusedly.

Chuck bent his head down and muttered. "Worst. Friends. Ever."

"Cheer up, buddy. I'm sure someone will catch you when you fall." Bryce gave him a grin that he replied to with a sarcastic smile.

"Oh hey, there's Carlo. Running in our direction and bringing news that hopefully translates to: Get your asses moving." Chuck said in a monotone. "Anything to save me from the two of you."

Jill and Bryce looked up and grinned widely at a panting Carlo. "Hi, Carlo!"

Carlo bent down to catch his breath and offered a smile in return. "Hey, guys. I have a message for you from the boss. Uhm… he said, and I reiterate this to you in the most respectful way possible, to get your asses moving." He added unsurely.

Bryce barked out a laugh. "Carlo, we're not going to kill you. Stop being so serious all the time and loosen up."

Chuck finished his coffee and stood up. "Guys, stop it. Carlo's as red as a tomato." He stood up and knocked on the table— twice. "Let's go. We have bad guys to stop and a government to figure out."

"Hey, Carlo. Maybe you and Chuck can go out sometime?" Jill said, out of the blue. Carlo coughed uncomfortably.

"That's not what I meant!" Jill blushed. Bryce spit his coffee out and laughed while Chuck merely rolled his eyes and said to no one in particular.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my friends."

~0~0~

Chuck sighed in disdain as he braced himself for the upcoming confrontation. Per a magnanimous decision, it was decided that he would talk to Sarah Walker. Alone. He recalled the previous conversation with his team while he made his way towards Sarah Walker's room.

_"Look, buddy. We figured out that the best way to help her and to talk to her is if you were the one who would approach her." Bryce started carefully. He sat in a chair opposite him in the table while Jill and Carlo stood behind him._

_"Me? Why me?" Chuck asked, disbelieved. "Why can't Carlo do it?"_

"_Because Carlo doesn't know her. Besides, Carlo will freeze up the moment she blinks at him." Jill teased their teammate relentlessly knowing of his aversion to women. "And she knows you… and from what I remember, had a thing for you."_

_Chuck flushed involuntarily and stuttered. "Wha…. No! She does not have a thing for me." The trio looked at Chuck as he sobered up. "Besides… Ellie."_

_Carlo slowly said their last reason. "Chuck… that's the main reason. Maybe, by talking to her… you can get some closure with Ellie. Look, buddy. We all love Ellie." He offered the downcast man a small smile. "You can't destroy your life seeking revenge for what might be an accident. Ellie… Ellie loves you, Chuck. She loves you so much. She would never want this for you. You know that."_

_Chuck continued sitting with his head bent down. Ruminating the words Carlo has spoken. He knows its true. Ellie would never want that for him. _

_**But how can you go on living when your reason for living is gone? **_

"_**Well, you have got to find a new reason for living then." **_

_He heard Ellie's voice in his head. He remembered having this conversation with her when they were kids and their parents died._

_Sorry, El. It's so soon. Tomorrow, maybe. But not now. I need to drown some more before I will be able to float._

_"You know this is the only way." Bryce's unnaturally soft voice brought him out of his musings._

_Sighing in defeat, he combed a hand through his hair. "Fine. I'll do it. On one condition." He looked at the trio seriously and they nodded in reply. "No cameras."_

_"Done."_

He stopped at the room in front of him and knocked before he opened the door and came face-to-face with Sarah Walker.

"Hi, Chuck. No croissants for me?" Sarah joked at him.

"Agent Walker. Take a seat. We have a lot of things to talk about." Chuck barely spared her a glance as he made his way towards the chair and sat across from her and laid the folder on the table.

Realizing that this is the warm greeting she's entitled to, Sarah made her way to the seat opposite him and opened the folder. Everything they could get from her file was there, except the redacted information. She gave him a look that said "continue".

"So I listened to your conversation with Jill." He dared her to interrupt but she gave her a shrug.

"I know. That's why I had it recorded."

"How do I know if what you're saying is true?" Chuck asked.

"Like I said, you can't. You just have to trust me." Sarah replied.

"Well, tough luck. I don't." He got up. "Tell me when you have a reason for me to believe you."

"Nice. That's nice, Chuck. Why don't you just ask me what you really want to ask? Come on. I dare you." Sarah stood up in front of him and invaded his personal bubble.

Chuck clenched his jaw and took a step back. "You cared for Ellie. I know that. She was your friend. So why didn't you save her?" He gave her a challenging look.

Sarah deflated and looked down briefly before tilting her chin up bravely. "I tried. I was outside when I saw a Fulcrum agent and I figured it out seconds before the blast. How do you think that made me feel, huh, Chuck? You think it made me feel better?" She challenged him while a lump was growing in her throat.

Chuck bit his lip in shame and willed his tears not to fall. "Ellie had nothing to do with you people. She was a bystander. She was innocent. Why did she have to pay the price?" He mumbled softly.

_I'm sorry, Ellie. But he has to know._

Sarah closed her eyes briefly to swallow the guilt of breaking a promise to a friend. "That… That's where you're wrong, Chuck. Ellie… she was more than that." She swallowed the lump and took a deep breath. She looked at him straight in the eye and said.

"Chuck. Your sister was a spy."

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><p>NB: Hi. Please don't kill me. I'm sorry for the long wait but I really had nothing on my mind and my life just sucks ATM. So anyway, LittleBloodyJ rewrote my "Your Window's Knocking" chapter and I hope you check it out. It's much prettier, if I might say so myself. Please humour me and leave a review on your way out. Peace out!<p> 


	9. Au Traitor

A/N: Hi, guys. I'm back. *uncomfortable laugh* Sorry. It seems I had to choke this chapter out. Anyway, this couldn't happen without the help of two people: One, LittleBloodyJ- the queen of all angst and second, my **beta-ish ***drumroll*: hhooppyy aka Jaime. So thank you, dear readers, for waiting for this chapter.

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><p>"Hello, Agent Casey. Interesting predicament we're in, isn't it?" Shaw queried as he stood in front of the trussed up agent.<p>

With a calculating eye, Casey quickly surveyed the room before somberly looking up at the towering figure of Shaw. _Still the same… except the stench._

Shaw paced in front of him and gestured to the dark, damp room with a hand. "How do you like your accommodations, Colonel? Comfy?"

Casey gave him a noncommittal smile and a shrug. "Considering the other hellholes I've been in? This is a 5 star hotel. However, I seem to smell the stench of a traitorous bastard. Is that a new perfume your bosses have invented or is that just your natural smell?"

Stiffening slightly, Shaw's smile fell just enough to give away how much the comment affected him. Quickly recovering, a gloating, sarcastic smile soon covered his face as he pulled back his arm and with no warning, unleashed a vicious punch to Casey's stomach. Caught unexpectedly, he disguised his pained cough with a hoarse laugh as his shoulder's slumped slightly forward.

"Is that all you've got?" He challenged him. He saw the anger bubbling in Shaw's eyes. _Hell, he's already pissed. Why not have some more fun?_ Shaw approached him with a grim smile as his hand settled above his gunshot wound and squeezed his leg with a grin.

Casey closed his eyes briefly and swallowed that expletive that was bound to let out. "I didn't know you swung that way." With an obvious strain to his voice, he threw one last barb at his torturer before spitting blood out of his mouth.

"What's wrong, Colonel? Had enough? But we're just getting started." Shaw whispered to him.

~0~0~

_Your sister was a spy._

The words echoed throughout the room-mocking him with the truth he had been unwilling to see-until, with it's vicious hand, silence gripped the sound and snuffed it out.

Silence was a thing Chuck had grown accustomed to after he'd become the last member of his family still breathing. Of course, there's a large difference between liking something and being used to it. It's like when you're physically wounded: just because the wound seems to have stopped hurting doesn't mean that it's any less serious. Maybe it's even worse to be numb than to be physically aware of it. Numbness dulls you to the reality of your situation but there is only so much pain the body can take before it shuts down.

That is what Chuck's consciousness did to help him survive.

When he couldn't cope anymore, he shut down like a faulty computer-his eyes flickering until whatever was lighting them up was gone. He'd done the same when his parents had passed away.

Whilst he had never really recovered, having Ellie made him try- even if that meant learning to hide the depths of his pain from her.

_It was the first time he ever lied to her._

When she died, it was as if the world had gone dark around him... unforgiving of his pain. Everything became irrelevant because all he wanted to do was curl up in the cold and unforgiving soil beside her: to be held by her for one last time.

_Dying would have been a welcome relief. _

Eagerly waiting for the day that death would take him, Chuck never bothered to try and recover from Ellie's death. He was not going to give up, but that doesn't mean that he was going to truly go on living, either. And that became his perpetual state since then.

_Sometimes, living for the sake of living can be worse than dying. _

The pencil in Chuck's pale hands snapped without a noise before its small splinters stuck into his flesh, reminding him to breathe as his suddenly distant eyes remained focused on the blonde.

The blonde remained silent as she looked back into his face, curious as to what reaction was being hidden under the shield of his flesh. She'd seen enough suffering in her time to know when someone was suffering- but she also knew that the further down it was being hidden, the bigger the storm it was causing.

Chuck remained silent as her eyes remained focused on the blank canvass of his face, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Chuck gently swallowed the bile-like substance that had formed in his throat, his shaking hands tightening around the broken wood and his heart racing as his all too clever mind asked him as to why of all the emotions swirling inside of him, shock wasn't one of them.

He wasn't shocked because he knew Ellie would have done anything to make sure people were safe. She would never have hurt anyone; there was no doubt about that. If he even started to question that, he'd have to start questioning everything he ever knew about her and he knew that there is only so much a person could handle. If he questioned the good in Ellie, then what is left to be certain of? He couldn't cope with losing Ellie again... because if losing her once didn't kill him... losing her twice would.

Ellie had been the person who had been his only support for many years and she had been the person who had picked him up when he had fallen. She had been forced to grow up before her time so that Chuck could get a chance to be a kid. She had to become a mentor to her own brother about life because nobody else would do it.

She had been the only reliable person in his life and she had been the one to teach him everything. _She was a spy._

She was everything he had ever believed in. _She was a lie._

She was his best friend and everything he loved. _She was gone in a flash of red and ashes._

Chuck kept himself silent as he felt the warm, sticky liquid crawling lazily down his hand and falling- the little red drops leaving small marks on the floor near his feet where they dared to fall. His face remained the perfect mask of calmness as he continued staring into the blonde's eyes, daring her to take her words back.

Sarah looked away once again, his gaze unsettling her as she shifted in her seat, struggling to find what to say in a way that went against her training. She gently let her mind go over the look in his eyes as she would an enemy agent to try and work out what he was thinking.

She didn't need to analyse him to know he wasn't an enemy because everything she needed to know was hidden in those eyes.

He was in so much pain that it hurt to consider. That was the first thing that hit her. She'd seen people under constant torture that weren't in half as much pain as the young man watching her was.

The second thing she noticed was how tired his eyes were. Like they hadn't had a good night sleep in far too long. The bags under his eyes proved that the presumption was correct but it wasn't just that type of tired- it was also the type of tired you feel when you're old and have stopped questioning the world around you because you already have too many unanswered questions stuck in your tired mind.

The third thing was a little harder to detect but luckily, she was trained to detect it. _Natural Intelligence. _His intelligence rang as true as the eyes she can't help but be suffocated by. His eyes pulled her in as his mind carefully picked her apart- studying every crevice of her being. She felt something she has never felt before... something she couldn't explain. Some sort of a psychological nudity.

_How could this man, whom she have met for a scarce few minutes know so much about her and delved so deep into her subconsciousness... something even she- herself, was afraid to do. _

The fourth, and worst thing that she saw in his eyes was the reason she couldn't bear to look at him for any longer.

_Death. _

There was so much _death_ in his eyes that it clashed with the youthful innocence his face was carefully formed of. The death drowned out all the other emotions and turned them to a dull shade of gray as they told her how everything he had ever dared to love had been taken away from him, ripping him to shreds and leaving him to bleed.

He wasn't the lively young man Ellie had told him about. He was so...

_It was because of her._

_Because she couldn't keep one stupidly kind woman safe._

_Because she didn't do her job._

_Because she had allowed herself to be distracted._

He didn't even have the strength to want to move on because moving on would show him how little the world cares for those who died to protect it. He didn't want to move on because everything he ever had was in the past. The person he had once been was gone-left in the past.

Sarah couldn't help but wonder how lonely it was to be stuck inside his mind because no matter how much he was hurting, he was too clever. His intelligence was his curse. No matter how hard he tried to **not** think, his mind would force him to.

_With great power comes great responsibility._

He needed to know just as strongly as he needed to drown in the past.

He was so lonely he wanted to sit in a corner and give up. _Sarah Walker knew the feeling well._

Sarah swallowed as she watched another drop of blood fall from his hand as the acceptance of her words glittered in his emotive eyes. He had no reason to question what she said and she had no reason to lie.

The knock from outside the door caused Sarah to jump before frowning at Chuck's lack of a reaction. His ever-straight shoulders remained perfectly still as his mask shifted over his eyes, covering all the secrets they held with a glassy dullness.

"There's a phone call for you." Bryce's voice was resigned as he stared at the empty shell before him, his eyes looking as if he couldn't help but remember who Chuck had once been. Before Sarah's mistake.

"It's urgent."

Sarah couldn't help but think that she would have done anything to take back what happened to meet the boy that Ellie spoke of. The boy who loved geeky shows like Star Trek and would smile for no reason... not the man who didn't sleep and lived on coffee, rarely remembering to eat and spending every second either hiding from everyone around him or trying to find those who had taken his family from him

_I'm so sorry._

She didn't realise she had spoken out loud until Chuck's eyes flickered onto her once again. Maybe, if Chuck had known what she was apologising for, he wouldn't have given her the look of acceptance he wore as he looked back at Jill.

"Take care of Miss Walker, please." The iciness in his voice didn't seem to shock either of the other officers, yet the look of longing in both of their eyes only increased.

They both looked at him as nothing more than a shell that was slowly cracking because of the pressure his own mind was creating.

Jill nodded as Chuck walked out of the room, stopping himself from sending another look at Sarah Walker.

~0~0~

Inside the room, Sarah looked at Jill and asked the question she already knew the answer to. "Has he been like that for long?"

"Like what?" The resignation in Jill's voice nearly matched Chuck's.

"So _broken_."

Ellie would have died if she'd seen what had happened to her baby brother.

~0~0~

"_Patience, padawan."_

_Sarah looked at Casey impatiently. "Well? We haven't got all night you know."_

"_Technically, we do have all night." Nico interjected cheekily as Sarah promptly threw him a glare that shut him up._

"_Can we please get on with the program?" Sarah sighed tiredly._

_Casey coughed out loud and depressed a button under the coffee table. She watched in fascination as a hiss broke out from the table and a chart of The Ring's chain of command appeared._

"_How did you get this?" She gasped in surprise as she leaned forward as she tried to remember the names and faces of those in power. She looked up at him, expecting an answer when everything clicked in her brain._

"_Oh right. You're the ghost."_

"_Now's not the time." Casey said, nonplussed._

_She stood up abruptly and threw her hands up in the air. "Damn it! We're supposed to trust each other with this! This is how my team died. Because we didn't trust each other!"_

"_Walker, we're not going to betray you." Nico stood up straight and considered her seriously._

"_We want this as much as you do. The Ring destroyed our lives." His mouth formed a grim line. "We'll make them pay."_

"_Enough with this lady feelings!" Casey bellowed and he pointed to the two of them. "You two, sit!"_

_She muttered obscenities under her breath but otherwise, complied._

"_Now, here's what we know so far: Shaw is high up their food chain and we can use that to our advantage. That guy might be a genius but he's egoistical. He had a perfect record... that is... until I came along." Casey grinned proudly._

_Nico groaned out loud and addressed her. "Do you want a beer? You might want to drown in beer rather than Casey's ego speech." She smirked amusedly but nonetheless, nodded in assent._

_Casey coughed and resumed his previous talk. "So here's what we're going to do, we're going to give him what he wants: me."_

_Sarah's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Casey took that as a sign to continue. "He's going to 'catch me' while you go to find reinforcements."_

"_And where am I going to find reinforcements?"_

_Casey leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him. "You're gonna be meeting an old buddy of mine... Light Yagami."_

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><p>NB: Kindly leave a review on your way out. Please come again. :)<p> 


	10. Shaw's Chihuahua

**Disclaimer: I don't own CHUCK... unless my parents say so in their wills. I also don't own the fascinating editor work on this chapter and for all coming chapters. You have _hhooppyy _to that for that. Finally, I don't own the song By Chance (You and I) by JRA. It just happens that I'm madly in love with that song.**

**PS: No mention of Chuck and Sarah but don't fret. I introduce to you, Nico's beau: Arlene. **

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><p>After his early morning run, Nico sat down while breathing hard and grabbed a towel from his gym bag. Swiping at the sweat that threatened to trickle down his face, Nico stared straight ahead and watched in fascination as the sun rose, oblivious to the rest of the world around him.<p>

"Hey, Daniels."

A voice came from behind him and he turned to check who it was-Karl Rimple, Kimple for short. The nickname pissed Karl off, but what could he do about it when the people in the company liked calling him that. While he may be Shaw's enforcer, aka Shaw's chihuahua, he didn't have the power to stop anyone.

"_Daniels, your first job is to get close to Shaw." Casey told him._

_Nico spit out the soda that was making its way down his throat. "Excuse me?" He coughed twice and said out in a strained voice. "Like… seduce him?"_

_While Sarah managed to hold in her laughter at the concept- just barely, she couldn't hide the teasing grin on her face. At the slight movement made and the tiny gasp of the swallowed laugh, both agents turned to her-Nico with a pronounced__scowl._

"_Smoke some more beer, Sarah."_

_Sarah cleared out her throat and quickly rearranged her face into an impassive mask. "Sorry. Go on."_

"_No, moron. You'll insinuate yourself into his life and become his right hand man." Casey said irritatedly. "However, to be his right hand man, you have to kick this guy off his throne." He took out a photo of a man standing inconspicuously under a tree and holding a cigarette and passed it to Nico._

"_That is Karl Rimple."_

_Upon seeing the picture, Nico tensed slightly... _

_Nico's entire career with the Ring seemed to be one big fight with Karl. From day one, Karl seemed to hate his guts. Although, Nico never really understood why and the job became an unspoken competition between the two of them-who could outdo the other, who could rise through the ranks faster, who could get the better missions, and overall prove who the better man was. Simply put, they hated each other and they never saw any reason to try and hide it. _

_Last time the two men had come face to face, Nico was being sent on a high profile mission to the other side of the world and Karl was stuck with some confidential stuff in LA. _

_In the spirit of their rivalry, Nico couldn't help but gloat at his good fortune and Karl's seeming misfortune. While at the time it seemed odd that Karl didn't react to the taunting, Nico let it go thinking that maybe Karl was learning to keep himself in check. _

_Little did he know, that while he was headed off on a high profile mission, Karl was actually being sent off on a top secret mission regarding the Ring's attempt to build an Intersect for themselves. _

_At the end of his seemingly successful mission in the Spratly Islands, Nico was recalled back to base… but not soon enough as the guy he had been tailing found out about him and tried to kill him. _

_On a boat. _

_With a bomb. _

_In the middle of nowhere. _

_As fate would have it, Casey had been tasked with the mission to eliminate Nico. However, after seeing the assassination attempt against him, Casey somehow figured that they could be allies, and that, as they say, was that. _

"Karl. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Nico turned around and addressed him dryly.

Karl walked up to Nico and poked a finger at his sweat-covered shirt. "Listen up, Daniels," he droned out his name with a sneer."I'm not here for you. I came here because for some unknown reason, Shaw trusts you. But you know what I see? An ass kissing bastard."

Nico pissed him off even more when his only response was to offer up a large mocking grin.

"His office. 10 o'clock. Don't be late." He backed away slowly and Nico gave him a mock salute.

"I'm watching you, Daniels. You're up to something. I know it." Nico gave him a final wave as he turned around and left.

_And so it begins._

~0~0~

"Hi. I'm here to see Daniel Shaw." Nico stood confidently in front of Shaw's secretary. After his brief encounter with Karl that morning, he took extra time to clean up. He even took the time to buy a new suit- Armani.

_What a waste of taxpayer's money_, his Casey conscience told him. Ignoring the disembodied voice, much like he ignored the man himself, Nico confidently walked forward with an ever increasing smile gracing his features.

"Nico! Hey." Shaw's secretary, Arlene, perked up slightly upon seeing him.

"Hey, Arlene. Good day?" Nico asked as he rested his arms on the counter, giving her a small smile and a wink while doing everything in his power to remain semi-professional when all he wanted to do was ask her out again.

"Better, now." She blushed and gave him a shy smile before dialing Shaw's number. Seeing her smile, Nico couldn't help but remember the day they met...

_Nico Daniels was not a happy camper. After being dropped off by Casey, he ran 3 blocks before reaching his destination._

"_Blowing my cover, my ass." Nico grumbled under his breath as he climbed onto the elevator heading for the 22nd floor. " I'm as wet as a freaking fish." Nico couldn't help but add while pulling his shirt away from his chest. Using some pathetic bathroom paper towels, he dabbed at his face and neck hoping to make himself semi-presentable but before too long he was crumpling the paper towels into a ball and sighing in resignation._

_Hearing the ding of the elevator as it stopped on Shaw's floor, Nico crumpled up the useless paper towels and threw it to the nearest trash can. Realizing that even with the unexpected delay in the form of Casey, he was still twenty minutes early. Nico quickly looked around hoping to spot a restroom he could duck into in order to clean up a little better. Spotting a bathroom on the way to Shaw's office, he surreptitiously looked around before pushing the door open and locking the door behind him. _

_Fifteen minutes later, he came out dry and in high spirits. Lucky for him, there was a blow drier inside that bathroom. Why it had one, he didn't dare to question. Who was he to question the universe's impeccable timing? So he strode inside Shaw's office confidently and approached Arlene who was trying to control her hair._

_Looking up as Nico walked in, Arlene's arms quickly fell back to her desk and her cheeks flushed hoping he hadn't seen her primping._

_Walking up to the desk, Nico found himself looking at possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The light pink that tinged her cheeks only made her look more beautiful. Quickly looking away before she could discover his fascination with her, Nico dropped his head and coughed slightly to get her attention. _

"_I'm here to see President Shaw." _

"_Mr. Daniels, I assume?" She asked, professionally despite the loud thumping of her heart._

"_That is correct." _

"_Just one moment, please."She said picking up her phone. _

_Nico started singing a song to himself under his breath while she was on the line and she couldn't help but listen..._

_Hi! Girl, you just caught my eye._

_Thought I should give it a try and get your name and your number._

_Go grab some lunch and eat some cucumbers._

_Why did I say that? I don't know why._

_But you're smiling and it's something I like on your face._

_Yeah, it suits you. Girl, we connect like we had bluetooth._

_Unwittingly, she started smiling while the phone rang. She looked up to try to sneak a peak at him when her eyes met his. He grinned widely when he noticed a blush overcome her whole face._

"_Hello?" Arlene coughed to recover her voice when the other line picked up. _

"_Sir, there's a Nico Daniels here to see you." She managed to choke out._

"_Send him in." Shaw replied._

"_Yes, sir. Anything else?"_

"_Arlene, you don't sound so good. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" He said before abruptly hanging up the phone._

_She sighed helplessly as she put the phone down. She raised her eyes and gazed upon Nico's smiling face. "You can go in now." _

_Nico nodded in understanding and walked towards Shaw's door. Slowing down, he started singing: "Go grab some lunch and eat some cucumber..."_

_Turning slightly, Nico looked into Arlene's eyes and asked, "Do you want to?" before turning around and heading into the office. _

"Hey, Nico. Mr. Shaw will see you now." Arlene said with a smile, interrupting him from his day dream.

"Thank you! See you later." He drummed his hands on the counter three times and was off with a wave, leaving a lovestruck woman in his wake.

~0~0~

As Nico walked in, Shaw leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs and evaluated Nico over steepled fingers. Nico did his best to appear unphased by this inspection and stood, almost bored, with his hand in his pockets lilting slightly to the left- challenging Shaw to find fault in him. After holding this stand off for a minute, Shaw shifted forward, uncrossing his legs, and stood up with his arm extended for a handshake and a slight smile on his face."Daniels."

Nico walked up to him and gave him a firm handshake. Shaw promptly ended the handshake, retracted his arm and proceeded to sit back down as he gestured to the seat across the desk that Nico should take. "Have a seat."

"_Power play," _Nico thought to himself as he sat down. In response, he also made himself comfortable and rested his right leg on his left. _ Fight fire with fire._

Shaw frowned slightly at the insubordination being displayed but quickly shaped his face back into its normal stoic facade. Clearing his throat he once again crossed is legs before placing his hand in his lap, one gently on top the other. He cleared his throat and sat up straight. "Anyway, I called you in for two reasons. First: I want to congratulate you on the capture of Colonel Casey. We wouldn't have caught him without your assistance."

Nico gave a smug grin and replied. "Idiot thought that I actually turned my back on The Ring. And he was the one calling me moron. Who's the moron now?" He raised a questioning eyebrow with a smirk.

Shaw laughed out loud and turned around to his mini bar. He took 2 glasses and a bottle of scotch. "When you're right. You're right." He poured scotch to the glasses and placed them on his desk.

"The second reason you're here is because I have reason to believe that we have a traitor in our midst." He picked up his glass and took a sip. He studied Nico's profile over the top of his glass before resting it on the chair's armrest.

Nico's hand was on its way to pick up the glass when Shaw said it. He stiffened almost imperceptibly for a second before his hand continued its journey.

"Oh?" He gave Shaw a bored look and drank out of his glass. "Who?"

Shaw put his glass down and leaned forward towards Nico. "I have reason to believe that it is someone close to me." Nico met his stare and gulped slightly.

"I don't take too kindly to traitors, Daniels. Not a lot of people have the guts to betray me." Shaw droned, patronizingly.

"You see, I trusted this man. He knows a lot. You know what I think? I think he deserves to die, don't you?" Shaw looked at him... daring him to say otherwise.

"Trust begets trust. Trust lost can never be redeemed." Nico answered smartly.

"Well said, Daniels. Well said."

Leaning back slightly, Shaw reached down and opened a drawer in the desk. Pulling out a gun, he quickly checked that it was loaded, tuned the safety off and pointed it at Nico. Trying to maintain his calm facade, Nico sat perfectly still staring down the barrel of the gun. Nico's eyes never left the barrel. Hoping that this was just a test, Nico kept his eyes open knowing that closing his eyes and accepting the bullet would be proof of his betrayal -were he suspected, but trying to grovel to save himself would have the same result. As Shaw's finger curled around the trigger, Nico found his resolve to keep his eyes open wavering. When he could wait no longer, he let his eyes close in what he hoped was a blink, and in that split second, the world stood still as heard the hammer fall...

_This is it. This is how I die... We were so close. Thank you, Casey- for giving me a chance at a new life. For helping me realize that helping people is greater than any other achievement I might get. Thank you, Lord. For a new chance of life... for making me make up for all those people I've killed and wronged. Thank you, for Arlene...'cause she's so pretty... at least I got a date with her... even just once... _

_I haven't even kissed her!_

"Bang."

_Here it comes... Oh God. I'm gonna die... Please make it quick. How fast will the bullet penetrate me? _

'_Quick enough,' his subconscious answered. _

_Shut up. Shut up. You could be wrong._

'_I'm never wrong.'_

_I'm talking to myself.. in my mind. I'm insane..._

_Am I gonna see a white light like some people say... Oh no! What if I end up in hell? _

_Wait a minute...Why am I still talking to myself?_

_How am I still talking to myself? Shouldn't I be dead? Or writhing on the ground or grasping for air..._

… _and unconscious? _

After a few more seconds of silent ruminations and the realization that he is still, as a matter of fact- alive and not in any pain, he slowed his breathing as he opened his left eye cautiously. Curiouser and curiouser, he opened his left eye fully before opening the right one. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he saw Shaw grinning wildly to himself- pleased with his practical joke.

"Congratulations, you passed. Now, your first job as my right hand man is to kill Karl Rimple."

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><p><em>NB: Please leave a review on your way out. Peace Out!<em>

_If you leave a review, I'll give you a cookie. _


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